Preventing Family Violence in Northern Communities (From Self-Sufficiency in Northern Justice Issues, P 337- 350, 1992, Curt Taylor Griffiths, ed. -- See NCJ-141302)

• NCJ Number: 141317
• Author(s): S Bryce; D Dungey; L Hirshman
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: Northern Justice Soc
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: From a workshop at the fifth meeting of the Northern Justice Society held in Sitka, Alaska, April 1991.

Annotation

This workshop presentation describes programs operated by the Yukon Territory's Department of Justice (Canada) for husbands who are batterers and for women who are victims of domestic assault.

Abstract

The women's group provides short-term counseling in contrast to long-term therapy and is based on women talking to other women with similar problems. The program begins with the pre-group interview, which is designed to determine whether or not a woman's attendance at the group is going to provoke aggressive behavior by her partner. If group sessions are believed by the interviewer to be inappropriate, one-on-one counseling is provided, or a legal strategy is devised. Each woman who enters the group is given a goal sheet, which is used as a tool to help her focus on what she wants to happen in the group over the next 8 to 10 weeks. Typically, issues that pertain to anger, emotions, and past abuse are mentioned. In the group women share their experiences. The Assaultive Husbands Program is composed of abusers who have been referred by the courts, their lawyers, or some other source that has provided an inducement for them to seek help in dealing with their abusive behavior. Groups function best when they are composed of men who have similar problems in dealing appropriately with anger and violence. The program is offered twice a week for 10 weeks, with each session lasting 2 hours. The focus in the group is on the use of power and control in relationships. Rather than targeting negative behaviors, the group emphasizes positive behaviors that nourish relationships. The men examine their own behaviors in relationships, particularly methods they use to gain control and attempt to eliminate anxiety and threats in the relationship. The group has been operating several years; often men who benefit from the program will return to have positive behaviors reinforced by the group when they fear that negative behaviors are returning to their relationships.